Regular She Kicks contributor Tony Leighton first saw Rachels Unitt and Brown-Finnis in action in an England Under-18s game back in 1999.
So, having watched their progress in the 17 years since, it was his great pleasure to be at the National Football Museum last night to see the former England and Everton team mates inducted into the museum’s Hall of Fame and to have a chat with each of them, as he reports:
The former Everton and England colleagues, Unitt having won 108 caps and Brown-Finnis 82, were thrilled to become Hall of Famers along with previously inducted legends such as George Best, Bobby Moore and Stanley Matthews plus female greats like Sylvia Gore, Gillian Coultard and Marieanne Spacey.
“I’m absolutely humbled,” Unitt told me. “I never expected to get an honour like this. It was fantastic to get to 100 caps, that was a great achievement for me, and now being inducted into the Hall of Fame – and to have my name alongside so many legendary players of the past – is just awesome.”
Brown-Finnis said: “It never crossed my mind that I would get this honour – in fact when I was told it was happening I didn’t believe it at first. To see the names of all those legends who had previously been inducted put it into perspective for me. It’s absolutely massive – and it’s still unbelievable!”
Goalkeeper Brown-Finnis was handed her award by her first goalkeeping coach, Mick Payne, who told the induction evening audience. “I remember Rachel at 11, as the only girl in a training camp with 100 lads – and she was the best of the lot! She is the best goalkeeper I’ve ever seen in the women’s game.”
Sitting next to me in the audience was Unitt’s father Terry, a former manager in the women’s game, who said to me: “When our Rachel was 11 she was a little dot, but she had the ability and I thought that if she shot up – which she did at 13 – she would make it. And now I’m so proud of her for everything she’s achieved.”
Unitt’s daughter, now playing for Solihull, added: “My mum said to me, ‘you’ll never be forgotten now because you’ll be in the Hall of Fame forever.’ But I think this honour is not just for me but for women’s football as a whole, for the great work of so many people in putting the game more and more on the map.”
The retired Brown-Finnis, who combines family life with work as a TV pundit, agreed: “The honour isn’t just about what me and Rachel achieved as players,” she said, “but also about how we’ve been strong advocates for the women’s game, hopefully becoming role models for young girls who are keen to play.”
